Happy Ending?
by Dragonscries
Summary: Ruby has a different Semblance - one pulls seven spirits from the Throne of Heroes into her head. She wishes for the carefree life and happy ending that the spirits were unable to receive, and she's going to do anything to get it.
1. My Face!

**I ditched the old idea that Servants had to relate to Ruby, and instead went with whatever I felt like.**

 **I'd like to note that Ruby never kicks the henchman out the window, so the entire fight is indoors instead.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. As for Fate... jk, I don't own that either.**

* * *

The wagon clicked and clanked along as Yang pulled it through the woods. Ruby slept soundly in the wagon, bundled up in her blanket and snoozing away quietly.

 _'_ _Don't worry, Ruby. We're almost there.'_

Yang stumbled over a tree root, exhaustion having taken its toll. How she wished she had left Ruby back home!

No, that was a lie. Seeing Ruby's face was enough to propel Yang to go just a little bit farther. Ruby reminded her of who else she was doing this for. She had no idea if she would have been able to come all this way without her.

 _'_ _Almost there. Almost there.'_

Why did her mom have to be in a house so far away? Why had her mom left them in the first place? Why had her mom left _her_?

And why had her dad wait so long to tell her the truth? Couldn't he have told her from the beginning that Summer wasn't her mom? That Raven, her actual mom, had left?

 _Creeeeeaaaak._

The wagon was heavy. Raven was at this hut, right? She had to be. Yang had worked until her legs had hurt, and then beyond that, so Raven had to be there. She _had_ to be.

And when Yang found her, she was going to make everything right. Dad would stop moping. Qrow would stop drinking and disappearing. Ruby would have a mom again.

She rounded a bend in the path, emerging from some trees. ' _There it was!'_

The hut was no more than a few yards away. Its wall leaned outward, as if straining to hold up the roof. The windows were destroyed, and there was no door at all, but it was the hut Yang had been searching for.

 _'_ _I'm going to find mom, and everything will be alright.'_

She was no more than a yard away from the front door when she heard the growling. The next thing she saw were the red eyes glaring out the doorway.

She ducked instinctively as a black shape flew above her. It turned and growled, standing on its hind legs like a human, but its features were wolf-like, and its red eyes glared at Yang.

She heard giggling, and was immediately reminded of Ruby. She looked down, only to see Ruby awake and pointing at the doorway, where a second wolf-human stood.

Yang swallowed. What had she gotten them into?

As Yang tried to back away with the wagon, two more wolves emerged from the trees. Surrounded on all sides and forced between fight and flight, Yang chose the obviously correct choice.

"I can take you!" she screamed, picking up a stick and brandishing it like a sword. "Stay away! The first one to come is shish-kabob!"

The wolves inched closer, paying no heed to her words. The first one that leaped at her, she smashed with the stick, which broke and failed to keep the wolf from bowling her over. It snarled at her, teeth inches away from her neck.

 _'_ _I'm sorry, Ruby, for bringing you here to die.'_

Suddenly, the head fell off, and Yang scrambled to her feet. She gasped. It was Uncle Qrow!

Qrow didn't look happy at all. He looked aghast. When Yang turned, she saw why.

One of the wolves had a crying bundle in between its teeth.

Qrow let out a cry that was half-despair, half-anger, and swung his sword, decapitating two wolves before dashing towards the last one. It growled, dropping its passenger, and took a swipe at Qrow, only to find the Huntsman to be much faster as the sword plowed through its abdomen.

Yang rushed over to the still-crying bundle that had landed face down and turned it over, only to gasp.

Instead of the face of her little sister, she was greeted by the sight of a helm. In fact, Ruby was covered in head to toe in metal armor.

"W-what?"

The armored figure stopped crying and began giggling instead. She reached up to the confused Yang and poked her nose.

"Boop!"

* * *

Ding-ding!

"Ah, hello, Miss Rose!" the shopkeeper greeted amiably, "Here to check out the magazines again?"

"You know it, old man!" Ruby laughed as she entered the shop. It was always the same - rows of Dust at the front, Dust crystals on display behind the counter, and magazines and other supplies at the back. The shop also featured a wide selection of Dust-powered tools as well. Ruby remembered buying an Electric Dust-powered egg beater a few weeks back.

"Youngsters these day, disrespecting the elders," the shopkeeper teased, "I don't understand why you're so interested in our weapons magazines though. Didn't you plan to become a doctor?"

"Checking weapon magazines is fun!" Ruby answered, "It's great to see what kinds of things people are cooking up now! Just the other day, the magazine was displaying a thermos-rocket launcher." That had ranked 4th on her "List of Weird Weapons," after the coffee-powered machine gun, the gun-shooting-gun, and the scissor-gun.

"Someday, someone's going to come up with a high-caliber sniper scythe," the shopkeeper laughed, "Anyways, I've got the shop to run. I'll be behind the counter if you need me, ok?"

"Gotcha, old man!" Ruby cheerfully strolled over to the magazine rack, pulling out her headphones as she did so.

 _'_ _Why do you wear headphones when it's clear that my singing is better?'_ questioned a voice in Ruby's head.

 _'_ _Actually, I think my singing is better, Lizzie!'_

 _'_ _You wanna challenge me, little squirrel?! Don't make me laugh!'_

 _'_ _Marie's music is good. Elizabeth's su-mmph!'_ said a third voice, having been muffled. Probably Paracelsus' doing.

 _'_ _You're both good, Marie, Elizabeth. I just want to hear something different,'_ Ruby easily lied as she flicked through her music on her scroll.

 _'Elizabeth is tone-deaf_ _,'_ mumbled the previous voice.

 _'_ _Mordred!'_ screamed Elizabeth, _'Shut your mouth!'_

 _'_ _Go ahead and make me!'_ retorted Mordred.

 _'_ _Ladies, can't we all just calm down?'_

 _'_ _Who are you calling a lady, Cu Chulainn?'_ threatened Mordred.

 _'_ _Is there something you'd like to say to us?'_ followed Elizabeth in a sickeningly sweet tone. Cu Chulainn wisely didn't answer.

 _'_ _Just keep it quiet up there.'_ Ruby sighed as she donned her headphones, _'I actually like this tune.'_ She tuned out the following argument as 'This Will be the Day' started playing. Sometimes, she hated her Semblance. It got annoyingly loud in her head at times, with eight inhabitants sharing the same space. Music just helped her ignore the yelling that went down at times.

And maybe Elizabeth could learn a thing or two about singing. Ruby would never say it to her face, but her singing was _really_ bad.

Moments later, the bell dinged again as more people entered. Dressed in suits and most of them holding weapons, they approached the shopkeeper.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" A well-dressed man in white and a bowler hat asked as one of his accomplices pointed their gun at the shopkeeper.

"P-please! Just take my lien and leave!"

"Shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh, calm down, we're not here for your lien." He turned to his minions. "Grab the Dust."

As they fanned out, one henchman noticed Ruby standing by the magazine stand. "Alright kid, put your hands where I can see 'em!" he called, pointing his gun at the oblivious teen.

A pause.

"Hey, I said hands in the air! You got a death wish or something!?" He approached Ruby. Roughly shoving her hood off, he pointed to his ear to indicate for her to take her headphones off.

As she turned, Ruby's mind immediately processed the entire situation. The shopkeeper was loading Dust crystals into a case. There were oddly dressed men, taking Dust everywhere, and the shopkeeper didn't seem intent on stopping them.

So this was a robbery.

She took her headphones off, buying time for her to think. "Yes?"

"I said, put your hands in the air, now!"

They could rob her, she reasoned. On one hand, she wanted to lay low and stay off the authorities' radar. On the other hand, she had just received her monthly allowance, and she _really_ didn't want to part with it.

"Are you… robbing me?"

Looks like her mind was decided. Preserving her money came first. Money was first priority, especially since she wanted to buy the magazine in her hands really badly. And because she had a few books she wanted.

Definitely not because she had a cookie addiction that she had to sate. It was not as bad as Yang claimed it to be!

 _'_ _Yes it is,'_ came the simultaneous monotone responses of multiple voices.

 _'_ _Shut up.'_ Did Ruby ever mention how she hated her Semblance?

 _'_ _Constantly,'_ came the reply once more.

Ruby ignored them.

"Yes-Argh! My face!" he cried as Ruby spat into his eye. Reaching up instinctively to wipe the spittle away, he left himself wide open for Ruby to kick him into a shelf.

 _'_ _Yes! Mordred, Knight of Treachery approves!'_ laughed Mordred.

 _'_ _Eww,'_ complained Elizabeth. _'That is disgusting!'_

 _'_ _I must agree with Elizabeth. 'Tis was not a fair tactic.,'_ came a new voice.

 _'_ _Whatever works, Atalanta.'_ Ruby replied, surveying the store. There were still three henchmen and the guy in white with a bowler hat. The shopkeeper had hidden behind the counter.

 _'_ _Good. Now we don't have to worry about him being in harm's way.'_

 _'_ _Noted, Paracelsus.'_

 _'Who are we worried about?_ _'_

 _'_ _Your mind is quite twisted indeed, Elizabeth. To think you don't even consider the shopkeeper's safety. Even low-ranked, your Madness Enhancement truly marks you as a Berserker,'_ Paracelsus commented.

 _'_ _What is that supposed to mean?'_

"Well?" the leader motioned his minions forward with his head. "Get her!"

Ruby backed up. The first henchman swung his sword at her, which she rolled forward through his legs to avoid. This conveniently put the henchman between her, and the wind Dust tubes he had just hit.

The blast knocked the henchman out right away, and would have also blasted Ruby backward if she hadn't grabbed onto the unconscious man and shielded herself with him. As Ruby watched from behind her meat-shield, a stand of wind Dust was sent flying, blowing up in front of another henchman and knocking him out. Ruby herself had to brace against the explosion of wind Dust. What Dust failed to react, covered the ground.

As she let go of the henchman behind her, he crumbled to the ground. She picked up a packet of Dust bullets and grinned at the leader and the last henchman. "Who's up next?"

The last henchman was understandably wary of approaching her. He moved slowly, keeping his eyes focused of her. When she casually threw the bullet packet in the air as if she was going to catch it again, his eyes never wavered from her.

So, of course, the ignored packet had to take him out somehow.

It struck a hanging light, which had already been flung around wildly from the explosion of wind Dust earlier and was barely hanging by a wire. The light came falling down.

The henchman didn't have the time to think _'oh crap'_ before the light crashed on his head. He was out like a light (pun intended).

The man with the bowler hat threw his cigar on the ground and crushed it with his cane. The cigar remains began steaming. "You were worth every cent. Truly, you were," commented the man.

"Eh, I'm good at making light of the situation." Ruby responded with a cocky grin.

 _'_ _That was bad,'_ whined yet another voice in Ruby's head.

 _'Fine,_ _Jack,'_ came Ruby's reply, _'ruining my fun...'_

"Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening! As much as I'd love to stick around," And here he dropped an open vial of steam Dust on the ground, "This is where we part ways."

The steam enveloped the area for just a moment, before it was blown away an explosion of wind Dust. The man cursed while Ruby grinned widely.

"You know the ground is covered with wind Dust right?" Ruby relished the kill-me-now look on the man's face. "And you just tried to start a Dust reaction on the ground using steam Dust. Not the smartest move."

"Little red, little red, you should know that a master criminal such as I will always have a backup plan." He pointed the cane at Ruby, before the end popped up. "Goodbye!" he cried, leaping out the window while firing the shot at Ruby. The shot reacted with the wind Dust, and a miniature hurricane tore through the room - which set of a chain reaction, the previously untouched crystals causing a storm of elements that tore through the room.

When the Dust faded away, Ruby was revealed to have hidden behind the counter with the shopkeeper, covered in armor. She stood and scanned the area, the armor retreated to reveal her completely unscathed. She spotted the man crawling up the ladder on the side of a building.

She could chase him. Or…

 _'_ _What are you waiting for?'_ Mordred asked, _'Chase him down!'_

 _'_ _Yes, hunt him down to the ends of Remnant!'_ agreed Atalanta.

 _'_ _I don't want attention,'_ responded Ruby. _'I don't need the popularity from catching a criminal at the age of 15.'_

 _'_ _Shouldn't we also be getting out of here?'_ asked Jack.

 _'_ _Good point.'_ Ruby agreed. Ignoring the cry of "Wait!" from the shopkeeper, she ran to the door. Just as she ran out the shop, the first police car pulled up by the curb.

"Halt! You're under arrest!"

 _'_ _Crap.'_

* * *

 **Saber: Mordred**

 **Archer: Atalanta**

 **Lancer: Cu Chulainn**

 **Rider: Marie Antoinette**

 **Caster: Paracelsus**

 **Assassin: Jack the Ripper**

 **Berserker: Elizabeth Bathory**

 **All of these Servants were indicated to qualify for their respective classes, even if they were not those classes in the works (I don't think that is a problem here).**


	2. Cookie Monster

**I feel like Atalanta+Mordred vs Roman+Cinder should be chapter 1...**

 **This chapter felt forced, so sorry if it's low quality.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't think I need to say this... but I don't own either RWBY or Fate.**

* * *

Roman laughed with glee at the success of yet another robbery. He loved it, the excitement, the feeling of success, the faces of the people he left behind who were unable to stop him-

Twang!

He just barely turned aside in time to avoid the arrow primed for his face. Narrowing his eyes, he spotted the figure of a girl with a bow, staying within the shadow of a taller building so her face was obscured. All he could tell was that the girl wore a green dress, and that her bow was _massive._

Not wanting to take any chances, he threw the Flame Dust crystal he had been saving. Yet, the girl launched another arrow, striking the crystal out of the air with impeccable aim. It exploded in mid-air, shaking the entire aircraft.

"What is going on back there?" Cinder snapped from the cockpit.

Roman was faced with two choices. He could either tell Cinder the girl was a huntress and get them to fight each other, or he could risk his life and take care of the problem himself.

Who was he kidding? Risk his life?

"We've got a huntress!" he reported, ducking to enter the cockpit, which was fortunate because an arrow rammed through the spot his head was a moment ago. Instead, it pinned his hat to the bullhead's side. Roman whimpered. He _really_ liked that hat.

He and Cinder swapped places. Blasting the first volley of arrows, Cinder went on the offensive, launch three blasts of fire from her hands.

The girl below moved out of the way, dodging back and forth between blasts. Now that she was out of the shadows, Cinder saw that she had what appeared to be faunus cat traits, and appeared quite young – maybe in her teens or 20's? The girl notched and fired yet another volley of arrows. Three, six, then nine arrows flew in the air at the same time.

Though her face was hidden, Cinder smiled. ' _Child's play_ _.'_

She released an pulse of fire outward from the bullhead, incinerating all the arrows, before calling upon her Semblance. The ground beneath the girl lit up, just as Cinder raised her hands to the sky, frozen, razor sharp leaves rising from the ground in preparation for bombarding the rooftop.

 _'Checkmate.'_

The rooftop exploded, just as the leaves fell, ready to slice the girl to ribbons. Cinder smirked.

But when the dust cleared, another figure had apparently joined the fray. They stood tall, dressed in the armor of a knight, not a single scratch nor scorch mark.

Cinder frowned at the new arrival. She called upon her Semblance once more, commanding it to blow these _ants_ to the sky, and was astounded when the knight simply stomped on the glowing ground, the promised explosion failing to materialize.

 _'What?'_ Cinder launched blasts of fire at the figure, who stood still. The flames dissipated before they even touched their armor.

 _'How? They should be DEAD!'_ She growled. _'I have half the power of a Maiden!'_

The bullhead rumbled, soaring away and taking a fuming Cinder with it.

Down on the rooftop, the girl slumped.

"Thank thou for the rescue. I was beginning to run out of Aura."

"Heh. You're losing your touch if everyday people can get to you."

The girl glared at the knight, previous goodwill forgotten. "I shalt slay thou if thou wilt continue to mock me."

The knight snorted. "Get in line. Berserker is far ahead of you there," she retorted cockily.

The girl didn't respond, simply rubbing her left hand, where a red mark showing a circle on a cross rested, and muttering about stupid knight wannabes. The armored figure took the opportunity to continue.

"Besides, it's your turn to watch out for trouble. Where were you? You know Ruby's with the police now because of your absence, right?"

"I was sidetracked," the girl commented, recalling the racist humans that had approached her for her faunus appearance while she was eating ice cream. She had left them something to consider.

Namely, their hospital bills.

"You saw a mouse or something, didn't you?" And of course, Mordred would come to some crazy conclusion.

"I did not!"

"Sure you didn't."

"Grr…"

"By the way, I picked up a ball of yarn from a shop. I was sure you'd like it, y'know, cause you're sorta a cat."

"I shall murder thou, Saber!"

The knight merely laughed and leaped away, following the lights of the police cars.

The girl paused, taking a glove out of her pocket and slipping it on, before chasing after the retreating figure.

* * *

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptapta-

"Will you quit that infernal noise?" Glynda glared at Ruby. The girl froze for a second, before her hand continued tapping the desk, albeit quieter and slower. Glynda took note of the girls appearance. She wore a black dress with red frills, adorned with a few small ornaments. She also wore a single, fingerless glove on her left hand and a red cape.

Why in the world did Ozpin think this girl was so important? To Glynda, she was the perfect example of a spoiled child: demanding to be released, refusing to comply with authority, disrespecting authority, etc. Because of her resisting the police, Glynda had to intervene, which meant she wasn't able to pursue the criminals on the bullhead.

Granted, the girl did have silver eyes; however, power without intent was useless. There was no way this brat would agree to go along with Ozpin's plans.

She stood, looking down at Ruby from behind her spectacles. "Do you know what kind of trouble you're in, young lady?"

"The kind where weird people unrelated to law enforcement step in?"

Glynda frowned. "The type where you could be put in prison for assault."

Ruby shrugged, leaning back in her chair with the annoying smile still plastered to her face. "There's no way I'll get put in jail. There was a witness at the scene of crime."

"Nevertheless, your actions today were reckless and put lives in danger. What if they had targeted the shopkeeper first? What if there had been a chain reaction from the Dust? What if-"

"I had it under control." commented Ruby, still smiling. "I could've taken them all if I needed to, no Dust necessary."

"As much as I would like to talk with you and sort out a punishment," and she turned to give Ruby a clear view of the man approaching, "someone wants to see you."

The man, dressed in green and black, approached slowly. He slid a plate of cookies across the desk before settling himself in the open seat.

Ruby picked up a single cookie first, giving it a huge sniff. Then she held the cookie by her ear and shook it. Finally, she tore off a small chunk and chewed it slowly, before finally deeming the cookies to be safe and consuming the one in her hand in two large bites.

Ozpin watched on throughout her little display, speaking up after she ate her first cookie. "Ruby Rose." He leaned forward, completely invading Ruby's personal bubble. "You have silver eyes."

"No, dummy, my eyes are obviously black," came the sarcastic response from Ruby as she leaned back.

"So! Where did you learn to do this?" he asked, gesturing to his scroll. The video quality was poor, as unlike the street cameras, the only security camera in the shop had been rendered obsolete years ago. Her face was barely visible, but Ruby's black-and-red clothing were unmistakable as she casually tossed a bullet packet at the light, bringing it down and taking out the henchman.

"I just used my head," responded Ruby after she swallowed another cookie. "Something that's needed for a lot of jobs."

"Indeed. Yet, I find it hard to believe that a young girl like you took out four thugs without training." Ruby shrugged at his comment.

"It happened."

Ozpin sighed. "What do you plan to do in life?"

"I want to become a doctor," responded Ruby, "that way I can help others. Especially my sister and uncle, who are already a huntsman and huntress."

"Why not become a huntress yourself?"

Ruby's scowl returned in full force. "I don't want to."

"Why don't you?"

"I simply don't want to." she repeated, "what part of that don't you understand?"

If Ozpin was perturbed, he didn't show it. "I simply want to hear your reason."

She raised an eyebrow at him, her smile beginning to fade. "You are asking me," she began in a deathly quiet tone, "whether I want the job with the highest death rate. The job that pits people against monsters. The job with the harshest living conditions. The job where you fight Grimm for the sake of bureaucrats that sit around and do nothing. In other words, killing soulless monsters for soulless monsters."

"I don't want attention," she continued, "When everyone's attention is on you, everyone judges you. You can't afford to make a single mistake. Look at Pyrrha Nikhos!" Ruby waved her hands around for emphasis. "She doesn't have any friends at Sanctum. I much prefer the way I am now. Huntsmen and huntresses are already looked up at and placed on a pedestal of their own. If I become a huntress, all eyes will be on me - quiet, Elizabeth," she hissed to herself, interrupting her own rant. Ozpin and Glynda shared a brief look.

"I'd be the new prodigy, their champion. I don't need that. I don't want that," she finished.

"You seem quite confident in your skills if you say you'd be the next prodigy and you're comparing yourself to Pyrrha." Spoke up Glynda from her position by the door.

Ruby glared at her. "If I'm not the next prodigy, then it doesn't matter. I'd just be another life lost pointlessly against the Grimm."

"Is that how you view your sister and uncle? We also both know that in times of kingdom-wide emergency, retired huntsmen may be called back into action - including your father, Taiyang Xiao Long. Are their lives pointless?" Ruby noted he had avoided mentioning anything about her mom.

"No." Ruby declared confidently, "My uncle is one of the best huntsmen. Both him and my dad were in team STRQ, which we both know was the best team in their year. And my sister definitely has the potential to be one of the best. They clearly have made a difference."

"Then why don't you want to be a huntress? Can you not see the potential you have?"

"Someone needs to keep the huntsmen and huntresses alive." Ruby returned, "Otherwise, how would they be able to continue their job?"

"Have you ever considered being a field medic, then? After all, you seem primarily focused on keeping your family safe. And field medics don't usually receive the same attention full-out Huntsmen receive."

"There still is the problem of safety." Ruby protested.

"And believe me when I say you'll be perfectly fine." He said, nodded towards the video being replayed on his scroll. "Of course, to become a field medic, you require at least two years at either a huntsman academy or a military academy. Do you know who I am?"

"You're Professor Ozpin, headmaster at Beacon."

"Hello."

"Hi. What do you want?"

"Straight to the point?" Ozpin sat up straight(or at least, straighter). "I want you to come to my school."

"Why?"

"Because I believe you have potential. Even if you are unwilling to become a full-fledged huntress, keeping calm in the face of adversity is a rare trait. As headmaster of Beacon, I simply don't want you to squander away your potential. You Semblance can also be a great help."

"What?" her eyes immediately focused on him.

"Your Semblance. It's some form of personality disorder, combined with an ability to summon facets of yourself, is it not?"

"Why would you say that?" she asked, her interest piqued.

"There's the fact that, from your records, many teachers said you were a strange child. Starting when you were 5, your family doctor diagnosed you with multiple personality and mental disorders, which all seemed to suddenly vanish when you became 13. It says that you claimed to see and hear invisible people, and that you claimed magic was real and tried to prove it with various dangerous acts. I can see that in middle school you suddenly transferred from a combat course to a biology course, roughly around the same time you were miraculously cured."

"And what of it?" Ruby smirked at the professor. "Perhaps I was just a troubled child."

"You had a caring family, and a supportive school. A Semblance would explain your… peculiarities. Then there's the fact that you _supposedly_ have never displayed signs of a Semblance outside of one incident, when you were four and unable to understand, although children who have their Aura unlocked at birth usually show control over their Semblance when they're around nine. Perhaps your state of mind caused you to act differently, overlooking some things and realizing others. Perhaps one of your personalities believed in magic."

There was a long pause. Ozpin sipped his coffee before changing the topic. "Do you know these people?" he asked, displaying a poor video of a figure in armor and a girl with a bow standing on the rooftop.

"No."

"Then I find it quite interesting that they mentioned your name during their conversation. Not mention that they interfered with a robbery that you were involved in. They aren't huntsmen or huntresses, as there are only two archer-knight hunter pairs that are in Vale right now. Both have solid alibi."

Ruby shrugged. "So?" she repeated.

Ozpin leaned slightly closer. "I believe these people are a product of your Semblance."

 _'Pesky, nosy headmaster.'_

"And what makes you think that?"

"This." As fast as lightning, the headmaster snatched Ruby's gloved hand as it reached for another cookie. Though she resisted, he removed the glove to reveal a red circle overlaid on top of a cross. Examining it for a moment, he continued, "This was the same mark the archer had on the exact same arm." Ruby snatched her hand and glove back, hurriedly putting the glove on and glaring at the headmaster. "And although I didn't see it on the knight, it could have very well been hidden under the armor. Both of the beings had silver eyes."

There was a pause. Ruby glared at Ozpin the entire time, while Glynda examined Ruby warily, as if seeing her as a threat for once.

"And so," Ozpin continued, "I believe it would be beneficial for you to attend Beacon Academy."

Ruby narrowed her eyes, considering his offer. After what felt like hours, she finally took a deep breath and spoke. "I accept."

* * *

Ruby stopped in front of the slab of stone. The light breeze whistled through the trees. The summer air was warm, and bees buzzed through the forest. "Hey, mom."

Silence.

 _'Did you really expect someone to answer?'_ As usual, Elizabeth was entirely unable to read the atmosphere. _'I don't know what Ozpine saw in-'_

 _'Is that Grandma?'_ Jack interrupted innocently, referring to the name 'Summer Rose.'

 _'Yes.'_ Ruby murmured softly. _'Yes, it is.'_

"I guess I'm following in your footsteps anyways. Getting involved in fighting, I mean," she continued. She took her cloak off and held in her hands, the summer sun already warming her up.

 _'We are Heroic Spirits!'_ boasted Mordred, _'We are made to do combat, unlike what wimpy lab doctor guy thinks.'_

 _'Well,'_ Paracelsus defended, _'We have potential for peace too.'_

 _'Bah!'_

 _'Hey, let's get along, k?'_ Cu Chulainn intervened.

 _'Still, ever since we joined the Throne of Heroes, we were destined to do battle 'till the end of our days and beyond.'_ Atalanta voiced.

 _'I don't like fighting…'_ whined Jack, _'I'll fight for mama though!'_

 _'Aww, thanks,'_ Ruby smiled outwardly at Jack's declaration. To the tombstone, she said, "I said I'd avoid it and live a full and happy life, but everyone agrees that we were pretty much destined to fight. You still remember everyone, right?" she paused a bit, "Mordred's blunt, stubborn, and impulsive-"

 _'What are you trying to saying about me?'_

-"but she means well. It's just her way of showing her affection. Then there's Atalanta. She's super strict, and talks funny-"

 _'I do not talk funny!'_

"But she's really cool! It's like having an older sister!"

 _'Does that make Atalanta my auntie?'_ questioned Jack.

 _'Yes. Harm shalt not befall thou, or any child, so long I live.'_ Atalanta affirmed.

"Cu Chulainn's pretty laid back. You could even call him lazy-"

 _'Hey!'_

"But he's dedicated to his goals and gives his all! Then there's Marie. She's kinda silly sometimes-"

 _'Why, thank you!'_

"-but she's super nice! Paracelsus is, like, the peacemaker. He keeps us all from fighting each other."

 _'I am pleased that someone recognizes that.'_

"Jack's pretty small. If you met her, you'd think was a kid! She's really protective."

 _'Yes I am! I'll watch mama for you, Grandma!'_

"Then we've got Elizabeth. Truth be told," and Ruby lowered her voice as if telling a secret, "her singing isn't that great-"

 _'Hey!'_

"-and she has a lot of bad habits-"

 _'Watch your tongue!'_

"-but she's just misguided. She has a pure heart – I know she does! She just needs someone to help discover it!"

Ignoring Elizabeth's cries, she continued, "I guess you're wondering what happened. We all got wrapped up in a fight, so Professor Ozpin invited us to Beacon. He seemed to really want us to go, even tried to figure out my Semblance! He only got part of it right though. It was still really infuriating! Who went and made him a psychiatrist?" She sighed, "Dad and Yang were nervous about sending me to Beacon at first, but they stopped fussing over me after they saw me fight."

Glancing up at the sun, she noticed that it was getting dark. "Well, I've been out here for too long. Yang and Dad must be getting worried. I'll come back during the break, ok? Bye, mom!" And so, she left with a spring in her step.

The grass rustled as she walked, and Ruby smiled at the wonderful day. Too bad the growling and hulking figures ahead indicated that a group of Ursas had taken residence up ahead.

 _'I could walk around them…'_ Ruby reasoned, _'But these are woods. No one else is here. I could also have some fun!'_

"Install Berserker!" Her clothes were replaced with a gothic dress, and a lance found its way into her hands. Horns and a tail emerged, and her hair turned pink and grew out.

Looking like a silver-eyed version of the Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Ruby watched the Ursa that had been attracted by her shout. Counting six of them, she smirked. "Ready for a beating?"

The first roared and charged, but Ruby easily sidestepped the swipe before sinking the spear into its stomach. _'Too easy.'_

 _'Of course! Would you expect any less from Installing nobility?'_

The second and third charged together. Sidestepping the one to her right, she impaled it and used the spear to pole vault onto the back of the other, dropping the spear in the process.

Before the Ursa could do anything to shake her off, she screamed. The sound blasted outward, tearing leaves from trees and shaking branches. The other three Ursa shivered and backed up slightly. The Ursa below her, however, received the full-on sonic attack at point-blank range. It immediately began to disintegrate.

She retrieved her spear from the dissipated Ursa from before. A few beowolves and a nevermore had been drawn by the sound. She smiled at them in a way that showed too many teeth.

"You're all in time for the real show."

* * *

 **Saber: Mordred**

 **Archer: Atalanta**

 **Lancer: Cu Chulainn**

 **Rider: Marie Antoinette**

 **Caster: Paracelsus**

 **Assassin: Jack the Ripper**

 **Berserker: Elizabeth Bathory**


	3. Bargaining

**Pyrrha's famous. It shouldn't have been too hard to find that she lacked a social life. Also, I'm not sure if there's going to be a ruler. Probably not, but I like to keep options open.**

 **Edit: Nvm, there probably will be :)**

 **I forgot to put the abilities demonstrated in chapters 1 and 2, so they're up here.**

 **Abilities**

 **Tauropolos: Bow of Heaven - the bow gifted to Atalanta by the gods themselves. When pulled all the way back, its arrows are capable of piercing anything.**

 **Magic Resistance - the ability to resist magic. Also applies to Semblances and Dust. A-rank in this represents near-immunity to magic. This skill may be downgraded based on the owner's weaknesses towards certain attacks and environments.**

 **Dragon Breath - a torrent of mana released by a dragon or dragon-related being. For Elizabeth Bathory, this manifests as sound waves capable of damaging opponents. Unfortunately, her dragon breath is weak.**

 **Sarkany Csont Landzsa - Elizabeth's dragon lance. It can double as a microphone.**

 **Mad Enhancement - an ability that exchanges reason for power. For Elizabeth, it makes it difficult for her to discern the mood or the pain of others, while slightly increasing her endurance.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

* * *

"I can't believe my little sister's coming with me to Beacon!" Yang ruffled Ruby's hair, shaking Ruby's head at the same time as they sat on one of aircraft benches.

"Ya-ang," Ruby whined, "Sto-op. You're making me sick. You know I hate airships." She was curled in a single seat, legs tucked in and knees next to her face. Yang sat in one of the seats next to her, while the other was occupied by a giant case resembling a coffin with straps added. It had Ruby's emblem drawn on the side.

"Who ever heard of someone couldn't handle a single ride? You'll get over it eventually."

 _'_ _I disagree!'_ complained Mordred, _'These flying death traps are unfit for transport!'_

 _'_ _Yes, yes! The sooner we get off, the better,'_ agreed Elizabeth.

 _'_ _I must have inherited my hatred of airships from you two. Your hatred of transportation is the only thing the two of you ever agree on.'_

 _'_ _Well, I think you can still ride Guillotine Breaker without feeling immense claustrophobia,'_ Marie offered.

"Anyways, I'm going to leave. Make some friends, ok?" Yang stood and walked away, pausing only to turn and wink at Ruby.

"No, don't go…" Ruby started, but Yang had already walked off. She stuck her head into her arms. "Great. Now how do I take my attention off the fact that I'm sitting in a closed metal tube thousands of feet in the air?"

"You ok?"

"Hmm?" Ruby raised her head from her arms. A blonde boy stood before her, dressed in a hoodie and jeans. He wore a light amount of armor over his clothes. He was rubbing his stomach and looking queasy. "Of course I'm fine. Just suffering from the feeling of being trapped inside a metal box in the sky that could fall at any moment, killing us all." She stuffed her head back into her arms to avoid being reminded of her circumstances.

"Could you please not?" the blonde implored, looking sick, "I'm just trying to say hello to a fellow person in suffering." He sat in the seat that was vacated by Yang. "The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

 _'_ _No, I don't,'_ muttered Elizabeth irritably.

 _'_ _I do!'_ Marie countered.

 _'_ _Shut up,'_ growled Mordred.

"Do they?"

"O-of course!"

The two were interrupted by the holoscreen, as the news flashed on. "The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."

The screen changed, displaying a purple-haired woman and a photo of animal-eared demonstrators with protest signs.

"Thank you, Cyril, In other new, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization has now disrupted..."

Once again, the screen changed, revealing Glynda.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon! My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

 _'Her last name is Goodwitch!'_ Jack giggled, _'Her last name is Goodwitch! Her last name is-'_

 _'Shut up,'_ growled Mordred once more.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." Then she disappeared.

"Woah!" a voice cried, "The view is amazing!"

Ruby wasn't tempted, refusing to lift her head. Jaune, however, made the mistake of looking out the window.

* * *

The two were the first ones off the airship as it touched down. Jaune ran straight to a trashcan and began emptying his lunch, while Ruby stretched her back after being curled up for the entire ride, glad to be off the ship.

Staring off at the towers, she mumbled, "Welcome to Beacon."

Jaune stumbled over to where she sat. "Yeah, I was hoping to make a better entrance. Stupid motion sickness."

"Claustrophobia sucks as well."

"Mm-hmm. Come on, let's start walking." The two set off.

"So, what weapon do you have?" Ruby waited expectantly for Jaune to unsheathe his sword.

"Uh, well, I have this thing." He pulled the sword out and opened the sheath into a shield. "They're called Crocea Mors."

"Ooh." Ruby poked the shield, which, to Ruby's amusement and Jaune's angst, caused it to fold back into a sheath and bounce in his hands. It impacted his face, causing him to fall over into a luggage cart.

"You dolt!" screamed a new voice. "You could have blown us off the side of the cliff!" A white haired girl dressed entirely in white and blue stormed up to the two. Holding up a vial, she continued, "This is Dust, mined and refined from the Schnee Dust Mines." Noticing Jaune's lack of response as he stared at her face, she ranted, all while shaking the vial and spreading Dust everywhere, "Didn't you know that? Are you even listening?"

Jaune's nose couldn't take it anymore, and he sneezed. The Dust in the air ignited, coating the three in a layer of soot.

"You imbecile!"

"It was an accident, princess." Ruby stepped in to save her new friend from the white-haired girl's shrill voice. She smirked intentionally, attempting to rile to girl up. It apparently worked, as the girl was about to say something when she was interrupted.

"Actually, it's heiress." A new girl stepped in. She was black-haired, wearing black and white, and a small bow sat on her head. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

"Finally, some recognition."

"The same company infamous for its mistreatment of faunus and use of slave labor."

"Wh-what?! How dare you! My family supplies over 80 percent of the Dust used by Remnant!"

"Many would argue that the ends don't justify the means!"

"I'm sure the White Fang would disagree with you there!"

 _'_ _Woah. It's like watching Elizabeth and Mordred. The two are really getting into it,'_ commented Cu Chulainn.

 _'_ _What did you say, stupid Lancer?'_

 _'_ _Did you just decide to mock nobility?'_

Realizing that he may be suffering a sudden death very soon, he tried to backtrack. _'Umm… now, let's not be hasty… you're both pretty, girls...'_

 _'_ _Cu Chulainn, thou is an idiot. 'Tis no wonder thou hast' no luck with women.'_ Atalanta muttered.

 _'_ _RAGGHHH!'_ screamed Mordred, _'I will decapitate you!'_

 _'_ _Lancer died,'_ quipped Jack and Paracelsus at the same time.

 _'_ _You aren't human!'_ the Hound of Ulster screamed, _'By the celtic gods, help me!'_

Ruby watched both fights as Cu Chulainn tried to escape from the enraged form of Saberin her mindscape, while Weiss and the other girl continued their argument.

Temporarily blocking out the Lancer's cries, Ruby helped Jaune to his feet. "You ready to bail?" the boy asked as he dusted himself off.

Ruby was about to answer an affirmative, when something caught her eye. She grinned. "Not yet."

"You Schnees are always stuck up and selfish, always ignoring the needs of others for the wants of yourself!"

"The Schnee Dust company supplies Dust to everyone! How can you say that we're being sel-" Weiss was suddenly cut off when hands shoved her forward. She pushed Blake over, landing perfectly on top, appearing to be straddling Blake.

There was an explosion of whispers, and as the two of them turned their heads, they saw that the next airship had docked and opened, giving the occupants a clear view of the position they were in. It was only then that the two realized what their positions appeared as.

They simultaneously opened their mouths to explain, when Ruby shouted, "Get a room, you two!" She stuffed her face, still snickering, into Jaune's shoulder, who smiled ashamedly.

Getting up and sporting a matching pair of blushes the two agreed on one thing – to ruin the life of the girl before them.

* * *

"…and that's what happened." Ruby finished recounting the story to Yang as Jaune nodded vigorously behind her.

"Yep, Blake nearly killed us!" They were in the auditorium, and Jaune's exclamation drew a few looks.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Blake? What about Weiss?"

Jaune wavered her question away. "Nah. Snow Angel was just messing around."

Ruby grinned. "You say that because you lo-ove her." She winked at Yang.

"N-no!" Jaune spluttered. "I don't-"

"When's the marriage?" Yang butted in. "How many children are you expecting?"

"How-what-"

Ozpin entered the stage, and Ruby turned her gaze into a glare directed at the headmaster. He spoke, "I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. (as the students whisper among themselves) You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Glynda stepped up in Ozpin's place. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

* * *

Ruby relaxed in her pajamas and sleeping bag, scribbling away in her notebook. All around her, future students walked around, preparing either for the initiation tomorrow or to go to sleep. Yang plopped down on top of her sleeping bag, right next to Ruby.

"Watcha doing there, sis?" She leaned her left arm.

"Just writing some notes in my notebook. You know, what I've observed from the other students, how to blend in-"

"Oh, come on, Ruby. You'll fit in just fine. There's no need to be such a worry-wart. You've already made a friend, right? Jaune's already your friend."

"I'm not worried about making friends," Ruby huffed, "I'm worried about drawing attention. This is a school on equal level to university. People are already watching us and what we do. Drawing attention here can lead to fame. Fame paints a target on your back."

"Stop being so pessimistic! Being popular isn't that bad. I would know!"

"You are enemies with two-thirds of the crime organizations in Vale and have a criminal record as long as the CCT Tower," Ruby deadpanned.

"Besides," Yang continued, ignoring Ruby's comment, "If you care so much about avoiding attention, why don't you just be meek and hide in the corner?"

"Yang, we've been over this. I want to do what I want to do. Hiding in a corner and not doing anything means I can't do anything."

"I know we've been over this," Yang sighed, laying down and staring at the ceiling. "It's just so… backwards. Doing what you want means standing out. You're choosing to stand out but avoid attention. I just don't get it."

"Then don't bother trying." Ruby replied, still scribbling away, "Sometimes, I don't understand myself."

"I'm your older sister, you know. I'm supposed to worry over you."

"I'm technically hundreds of years old. That makes me the older sister." Ruby looked up for just a moment, long enough for Yang to see her smirk.

"Riiiiiiiight." Yang rolled her eyes. "Tell me, what's it like having seven roomates?"

Ruby paused from her writing to think, holding her pen to her lip. "Frustrating. Annoying. Loud. But, they're like a weird, dysfunctional family," and here she turned to Yang with a smile, "I wouldn't trade them away for anything."

Yang just smiled and messed up Ruby's hair again. "My little sister's all mature and grown up!"

"Yang!"

"We finally found you!" Upon hearing Weiss' voice, Ruby looked up, only to 'eep.' Both Blake and Weiss stood above the two sisters, murderous looks on their faces. Well, Weiss had a murderous look on her face. Blake just looked like she was being dragged along.

"Can we negotiate?" she whimpered.

"No," Blake drawled at the same time Weiss nearly yelled.

Yang just looked confused, still haven't pieced the puzzle together. "You all know each other?"

"Yes. Yes, we do." Came the sinister response from Weiss as she brandished a rapier.

 _'_ _Where the heck did she get that? Students were supposed to put their weapons in their lockers!'_

"ByeYangyouwereagreatsisterIgottagoBye!" and with that, Ruby sprang from her sleeping bag and ran for her life.

* * *

 _'_ _That wasn't so bad.'_ Ruby sat in a tree, leaning her head against a branch as the sun rose.

 _'_ _They tried to kill us!'_ Jack denied, _'They even frosted our sleeping bag.'_

 _'_ _At least they're not still after us.'_ Paracelsus stepped in. _'We resolved things peacefully, at least._

 _'_ _Peacefully? They almost set the Beacon lawn on fire, trying to find us through my Presence Concealment!'_

 _'_ _Well, it's all in the past now.'_ Ruby leaped down from the tree.

 **"** **Will Ruby Rose please report to the headmaster's office? I repeat, will Ruby Rose please report to the headmaster's office?"** blared the intercom.

"Whatever. I'm grumpy from no sleep. Let's get this over with." Ruby grumbled to herself. She walked towards the headmaster's tower.

 _'_ _If he does something that warrants killing, we can just mess up the cameras. No one will know we did it, much less what we're capable of.'_ Ruby stepped into the tower, crossing the first floor quickly. Ignoring the elevator entirely, she began walking up the stairs.

Jack perked up. _'Can I cut his fingers off if does anything bad?'_

* * *

The elevator dinged, and a messy, tired-looking man stepped through the opening doors.

"Oz," he growled, storming over to Ozpin's desk and slamming a hand down, "You better have a damn good reason for why you decided it's time for Ruby to know."

Ozpin took his spectacles off for a moment to rub his eyes, looking, for a moment, like a haggard old man. Then he put the spectacles back on, and he became the headmaster of Beacon once more. "She's already encountered the enemy."

"So?"

"We need your niece's help, Qrow. Salem has had decades to plan, and we're no closing to uncovering that plan. A handful of huntsmen and huntresses aren't enough. Ruby's Semblance can help us. And, of course, there's Ruby's heritage _._ "

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "You're going to send _Ruby_ as a scout?"

"Not quite. I wish to use her Semblance to create scouts. Ruby herself will be perfectly safe."

Qrow looked confused. "Oz, Ruby's Semblance can't create scouts."

"And yet, I saw two people that shared Ruby's eye color and the mark on her hand. As far as I'm aware, Ruby is the only silver-eyed warrior left."

Qrow scrutinized Ozpin's face, checking for lies before he let out a laugh. "I get it! I remember what you're talking about. But there's another reason you wanted to tell Ruby everything, isn't there?"

Ozpin winced. "It is also a gesture of goodwill."

"What did you do?"

There was a pause. The gears above turned.

"I may have coerced your niece into coming to Beacon." To his credit, he sounded regretful.

Qrow leaned close to Ozpin so that their eyes were inches apart. He went straight to the point. "If I find a single scratch on my niece, I might just pull a Raven."

"Don't worry about it. I promise you, no harm will befall Ruby Rose."

With a long, aggravated sigh, Qrow stood an leaned against a wall. "Good. I'm going, then. Don't want to distract Ruby while you're talking to her." He twisted into the form of a crow, flying up through the shifting gears.

Ding!

As of on cue, the elevator opened, and Ruby marched out. Qrow moved to stand behind Ozpin.

"Stupid tower," She mumbled loud enough for him to hear, "stairs don't even reach the top."

"Hello, miss Rose. Please have a seat." He gestured to the empty seat. Ruby sat down, giving Ozpin a glare. "Now, what we have to say will sound preposterous, but please hear me out until the end."

"Ok."

"Good. What is your favorite fairy tale?"

* * *

 _'Is this a trick question?'_ Ruby pondered. _'Favorite fairy tale? What does that have to do with anything?'_

 _'Perhaps he is trying to judge your character by which fairy tale you answer with.'_ Paracelsus supplied.

 _'Hmph! He's probably going to try to psychoanalyze you or something!'_ came Mordred's response.

 _'Does thee even know what 'pschoanalyze' means?'_

 _'No, but it sounds like something the bastard would do. He reminds me way too much of my mum.'_

An idea blossomed in Ruby's mind. "My favorite fairy tale would be... the Tale of the Chaste Huntress."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "I haven't heard of that one. Mind telling it to me?"

"Why?" Ruby leaned back in her seat. "What does that have to do with why I'm here?" Her eyes narrowed. "Does it have anything to do with why you were so eager for me to come to Beacon?"

Ozpin intertwined his fingers, looking contemplative. He held the pose for a moment, before returning to his previous stance. "Do you know the Story of the Seasons?"

"Yeah, four sisters come across a wizard and help him. In return, he gives them the power of the seasons."

"That is a greatly simplified version of the story, but in a nutshell, yes. Now," his eyes bore into Ruby's, "what if I told you it was true?"

Ruby shrugged. "I'm not surprised, if that's what you're talking about. But what does that have to do with me?" She smirked. "Are you going to tell me that I'm a Maiden or something?"

 _'Now that would be a twist!'_ Marie gleefully responded.

The headmaster shook his head. "No. In fact, you were ineligible to become a Maiden. To inherit the Maiden's power, one must be young and a female."

"Are you claiming that I am secretly a male?" she growled.

The headmaster didn't look the slightest put off. "No, it has to do with your personality." He sipped his coffee. "Or rather, you problems involving your personality. Remember when you were younger, you had many mental problems."

"Aura is a manifestation of your soul, your personality." Ozpin clarified. "But for someone with, say, dissociative identity disorder, their Aura would constantly alternate between two different forms. Such Aura is too unstable to house the power of a Maiden. And for you, having had your Aura split that many ways was extremely unstable."

Ruby remembered what he was talking about. For years after her Semblance was unlocked, scans on her Aura had shown "the most f-ing messed-up patchwork Aura" the doctors had ever seen, caused by the conflicts between herself and the Heroic Spirits in her head. The problem disappeared after they all made peace with each other and established a goal that they were all willing to work toward. _'To live a happy, care-free life'_ had been their ultimate goal.

She gathered her thoughts together. "Then why am I here, if I'm not a Maiden?"

"Naturally, there are despicable people who want the Maidens' power for themselves - it was because of them that the story was allowed to become a fairy tale. And unfortunately, their last attempt was somewhat successful. Half of the Fall Maiden's power was stolen, and it was only thanks to your uncle that the other half was saved. And yes, your uncle is involved in all this." He sipped his coffee once more. Only the clicking of the gears above disturbed the silence.

Ozpin continued, "Because of how closely guarded this information is, there are only a handful of huntsmen and huntresses seeking out and protecting the Maidens. Unfortunately, this spreads our numbers incredibly thin, and we barely have any people who can investigate what our opponent is trying to do. That is why I was desperate for you to come to Beacon." He leaned forward. "Your ability to create those human-like constructs is what we need. It could provide us the manpower we are lacking."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I can only have three Servants out at a time, and they aren't exactly top quality." Ruby refuted. It was only thanks to Paracelsus' Item Construction skill that she had been able to produce shells to contain her Heroic Spirits. However, when trying to maintain the faux-Servants, she came across another problem - Aura usage. Each Servant required a steady stream of Od, which fortunately could be swapped for Aura instead. However, the Servants were much weaker, having _everything_ ranked down and being unable to activate their Noble Phantasms.

"Every hand counts."

"I doubt three hands would count enough."

"True enough. There is another reason."

"Oh?"

"As I've said, half of the Fall Maiden's power was stolen. The Maiden herself is currently in a coma, hidden inside this very academy. Should it become necessary, we may have to forcefully transfer the Maiden's powers to an individual. And you, are one candidate."

"Why me?" was all Ruby asked.

Ozpin smiled. "I have several reasons. Unfortunately, I cannot tell them to you right now. Initiation begins in-" he checked his watch, "-15 minutes. Both of us must go soon, so I'll state my offer right now. In return for assisting in the protection of the Maidens and the investigation of our enemies, I'll assist you in avoiding media attention."

He stood. "Show me your choice at initiation. Passing means you make it to Beacon. Completing initiation in less than an hour means you accept my offer. After all, I have to make sure you are capable before letting you get involved with anything. How about it, Miss Rose?"

* * *

 **Abilities**

 **Guillotine Breaker: Glory to the Crown of Lilies - a glass horse Noble Phantasm. It represents the glory of the French Crown. It damages enemies as it passes by while healing allies.**


	4. Welcome to Beacon

**This took a while. Sorry about the wait. At least it's a longer chapter!**

 **I got reabsorbed into FGO. I didn't get Jalter, but I'm fine with that. Didn't really try too hard, anyways.**

 **Ozpin... I have so many mixed feelings about him... in canon, he does act nice and all, and he does value the safety of his students, but you have to remember that he was willing to use team RWBY as his scouts.**

 **This Cu is FSN Cu, because best doggo is unkillable.**

 **I was originally going to follow a suggestion to have Ruby fail, but leave a Servant at Beacon as sort of information source... but I scrapped the idea when a couple issues came up with implementing it. Mostly because I have not attended a medical school of any kind, so I don't have any idea what it would be like for Ruby to attend such a place. There's also the fact that it doesn't fit in with what I have planned later on (I actually have a plan now!). Still, this chapter felt really rough to me. Like I could polish it more, but I'm sure where to start.**

 **I'll be going back to previous chapters and fixing errors/adding small details. Nothing that will change the story majorly, just make me feel better so I won't cringe every time I reread a chapter I wrote.**

 **Summary: Ozpin knows more than he lets on. Ruby enters Beacon, agrees to help Ozpin, but refuses to be a Maiden. Ruby unlocks Jaune's Aura. Teams RBYN and AWPR are formed. Ruby and her Heroic Spirits have an argument about selfishness vs selflessness. An eighth Servant makes a brief appearance.**

* * *

"Miss Rose, please step on the launch pad."

"I don't wanna."

"Miss Rose, this is how initiation is supposed to go. Otherwise, how will we decide teams and whatnot?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "I really rather not be eaten by some Grimm, should I somehow survive the fall to my death."

Ozpin sipped his coffee. "Everyone else managed."

"Everyone else is weird."

Ozpin gave a wry smile. "If you don't participate... I might just assign you a partner at random."

"...I'm pretty sure you're supposed to just kick out a student that refuses to cooperate."

"Hmm. Very well. I suppose I'll just watch what you do, and make my decision based on your actions."

"My actions will probably be to stand here and do nothing for all of initiation."

"Really?" Ozpin watched as a trio of prospective students were sent flying over the tree-tops from a large explosion. Most likely, someone had failed to handle their Dust properly. "I find it hard to believe that you would simply watch others get hurt and not help."

"Well, maybe I _will_ simply watch others get hurt and not help."

They stood silently on the cliffs. Ruby was fully aware of the frowning face Glynda was directing towards her. The combat instructor was probably unhappy with her.

Well, too bad.

Glynda spoke. "Sir, it seems that Jaune Arc has become Weiss Schnee's partner. I can't image her being able to tolerate the boy for long." On the headmistress' scroll's screen, Jaune was seen getting hit by a tree branch. "He isn't ready for Beacon. He transcripts clearly exaggerated his abilities."

"Mmmm..."

She closed her tablet. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes. Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year? Professor Ozpin?"

Ozpin didn't answer, watching his tablet.

Ruby's interest was piqued. Of all the participants of in initiation, Jaune and Yang were the two that she was worried for. Jaune was her first friend in... actually quite a while... eight years, maybe (not counting her friends in her head, of course)? Now that was sad. And Yang was... well, her sister, obviously.

It did somewhat concern her that Jaune apparently wasn't "ready" for Beacon. She peeked at the headmaster's scroll out the corner of her eye, and received a brief glimpse of Jaune and Weiss escaping from a pack of pursuing Beowolves. Jaune stumbled over a tree root as the two fled, and barely righted himself in time.

Ruby pulled out her own scroll and started reading an online book. Jaune was a friend and all, but she'd only known him for a day. Yang was the only person she'd get involved for.

...

...

"Hey, Jaune Arc is being attacked by a Deathstalker." Ozpin commented. Ruby resisted the urge to look.

...

...

"Oh look, a giant Nevermore and a giant Deathstalker are chasing your sister." Ozpin remarked in a calm tone, though he was smirking.

Ruby's response was not so subdued.

Ten seconds later, Ozpin found himself relieved of his scroll

Another ten seconds, and Ruby was in the air.

* * *

Why?

 _'You did say you'd get involved if Yang was in trouble.'_

 _'Please, Elizabeth, let me mope a bit more.'_ Not only that, but she had been forced to reveal more of her Semblance to that cursed headmaster in order to track down Yang. Sure, she hadn't exactly done it right in front of him, but the guy obviously had cameras in the forest. And to think that she had been planning to lay low.

The branch beneath her feet shook as she landed. Leaping from tree to tree, she continued to avoid unnecessary combat with Grimm and other Beacon students as she raced towards the temple.

Archer was Installed. Ruby was dressed in a green-and-black skirt and vest, while lion ears poked out her messy hair. Her bangs were green, but transitioned to blonde. A tail waved behind her.

Atalanta's superior instincts, combined with her experience in forests made her the best Heroic Spirit in this situation - it was a simple task of tracking the path Yang had followed with the Archer's enhanced sense of smell. Though, the fact that Yang's hair smelled strongly of lilacs helped.

The next branch snapped under her feet, but she landed on the ground in a roll. She continued to dash forward.

 _'I can picture Ozpin's smug face.'_ Ruby grumbled. _'He'd say something like, 'I thought you were going to stand by the cliffs and watch others get hurt?' And he'd have an annoying smirk, and we wouldn't be able to say anything because he'd be_ right _, and it infuriates me so much. Ugh, I never should have looked at his scroll. Seriously, what did the old coot think he was doing when he held initiation in a forest with two older Grimm? And if there are two, there are bound to more. I swear, the headmaster has no idea-'_

 _'Ruby, please calm yourself.'_ Paracelsus sighed. _'Fretting will not help. Find Yang first, and help her and Jaune take down the giant Grimm."_

Ruby continued to grumble.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the tree branch she was about jump onto moved of its own will, letting her fall to the floor. She landed with a roll, facing her enemy.

An enormous rock, with trees for legs and arms, swung its arms around. The mask on the rock explained how.

 _'Geist,'_ Ruby cursed, _'should have been paying attention.'_

 _'Yes, thou should have.'_ Atalanta agreed

Ruby turned to run - and was stopped when Beowolves emerged from behind the trees.

* * *

Ozpin watched Ruby's encounter from Glynda's scroll.

Both Glynda and Ozpin knew full well that a Geist was beyond what any applicant should be able to handle alone. A single, experienced huntsman could defeat a geist alone, as well as any recent Huntsman Academy graduate. Once one knew about a geist's weakness, they were easy to handle. However, for these prospective students, none of them should know what a Geist was.

"Any guesses as to which Class she'll use, sir?"

"A couple guesses." Ozpin responded, taking a sip from his cup. "Not Lancer, though. I don't think Lancers are a good match-up against Geists. She probably won't stay an Archer, with those Beowolves nearby."

"Perhaps Saber or Berserker? Those classes are known for their power. She may simply try to force her way through."

"I'm leaning towards Assassin." Ozpin quipped. "We'll see, won't we?"

So the two watched, waiting for the girl's first move.

* * *

"Install Assassin."

Atalanta's clothing was by a large cloak, covering every inch of Ruby's body except her face and her arms. Ruby had shrunk in height, and although her hair returned to its regular length, it became bleached white. A scar found its way onto her cheek.

In her hand was a simple lantern. It looked like an antique used back in the days of the great war, when Dust-based technology was still new and people were forced to use alternative fuels. However, it was anything but.

It was a Noble Phantasm, belonging to the Heroic Spirit Jack the Ripper. With a flick of a finger, the shutter opened, and mist poured out.

" **Darkened Misty Metropolis,** " Ruby intoned, " **The Mist.** "

As if responding to her words, the mist suddenly thickened, and Ruby disappeared from view.

The Grimm started looking around, trying to find their prey. Unfortunately, the mist had... _nasty_ side affects.

A few Beowolves attempted to sniff the air and catch her scent. They died first, making strangling noises as they tried to warn their pack members.

The rest, having learned from their comrades' death, instead spread out and continued searching. It was still useless, however, as they too began to fall, poisoned to death by the mist.

The Geist, however, was unaffected by the poison. It continued to search for the human, when it saw something move. When it approached the source of movement, it found a little girl, dressed in rags, wandering around. As a Grimm, it couldn't resist the urge to kill the supposed human.

The illusory child burst into wisps of white smoke, before reforming - this time as a group of children, surrounding the Grimm.

The Geist raged and raged, smashing the ground until its tree arms had long splintered - then it continued with its feet. When those, too, finally gave out, it left its body, seeking something else it could take control of.

And that was when Ruby's knife sprouted from its eye.

* * *

"You were right."

"Yes. She used Assassin." Ozpin took a sip from his cup. "I recall having seen that mist before. Can't exactly remember where, though. Summer never used it, though."

"That Archer, however..."

"Yes, Summer used that bow once, though she never Installed that Servant. Tauropolos, I believe she called it?"

* * *

Ruby, in her Archer form again, landed in a clearing. Her trip after defeating the Geist had been uneventful. No Grimm assailed her, no one tried to stop her. Not only that, but her "Information Erasure" skill would have ensured that Ozpin wouldn't know about the Noble Phantasms, should he see it through The Mist. Even though the headmaster had seen her Install, she could at least keep the Noble Phantasms to herself, yes?

The ruins of a temple were in front of her. She examined the pedestals.

 _'They're all empty.'_ Paracelsus noted.

 _'So we've failed initiation already?'_ Mordred asked excitedly, _'Great! Now let's go and destroy every-'_

 _'Mordred, we are not harming the wildlife.'_ Marie admonished.

 _'Not the wildlife!'_ Mordred protested, _'Just the Grimm and maybe a student or two, maybe pick up a relic along the way! You know, just to see if they can put up a good fight! That fight with the Geist wasn't even a real fight!'_

 _'No, it was an execution.'_ Marie muttered.

 _'I'm all for it!' p_ roclaimed Cu Chulainn, having not heard Marie, _'That run-in with the Geist really has my blood boiling!'_

 _'Thou has clearly been struck mad by the moon,'_ sighed Atalanta.

Ruby left the temple ruins, still following the scent trail her sister left. Trees blurred, and although a pack of Beowolves did try to ambush her, she was easily able to avoid them (while ignoring Mordred's and Cu Chulainn's complaints). Soon, her hearing-enhanced abilities picked up the sound of gunfire.

Dispelling her Install, she came into a clearing. There had once been some large building here, but now there were only pillars. Further away was a chasm, with damaged structures over it.

Yang and the two Grimm were easy to spot. Giant scorpion, check. Giant bird, check. Crazy girl with yellow hair screaming obscenities as she rode the giant bird, unloading cartriges out of a bracelet into a vital point between the bird's head and shouders(do bird have shoulders?)? Check.

 _'Mama's being weird again...'_

The Nevermore was flying in circles, trying shake off its unwelcome passenger while avoiding Dust blasts shot at it from a pink-garbed girl, boy in green and a black-haired girl. Wait, no, the black-haired girl was Blake. Atalanta would be ashamed if Ruby's eyesight was _that_ bad.

 _'Thou still should have been able to recognize her.'_

 _'Alright,_ mom. _Stop nagging me._ _'_

The Deathstalker had cornered a team of three students. The students were stuck on a broken bridge as the Deathstalker attempted to get them from the ground.

"Include Archer." Instead of a full-out Install, only her bow appeared. Ruby pulled the string back, and an arrow formed. At first she aimed at the Nevermore, but with Yang on it and without her Install, she couldn't be sure her hit wouldn't strike Yang, so she lowered her aim to the Deathstalker. She released, and the arrow flew through the air with enough force to hit the Deathstalker's stinger and remove it from the Grimm's tail.

The Deathstalker immediately screeched and turned away from the three it had cornered, charging straight at her. Allowing the bow to disappear and placing her case on the ground, she pulled out a crimson lance.

The scorpion Grimm swung it's claw at her, but she leaped back to avoid it. It then tried to bring its claws down on her, but she once again evaded the attack by stepping forward. Then, she whispered the name of the spear, " **Gae Bolg,** " and thrust the spear through the Grimm's eye. She could feel the spear shift directions on its own in her hand, steadfastly aiming for her target's heart.

The Deathstalker thrashed, and Ruby let herself be thrown back. She watched as it slowed, and finally died, the light literally fading from its red eyes before it began to dissolve. Ruby let Gae Bolg dissolve with it. Ignoring the exclamations of surprise and awe from the three people she helped, she then turned to the Nevermore.

It had managed to get Yang off its back, and now it was trying to attack the team of four that was shooting at it. As Ruby watched, it dived, dodging some blasts and letting a few others hit, before it rammed through the support columns that held the structure up. The whole thing began to fall, though Ruby was relieved to see that Yang managed to reach a ledge by jumping off the falling rubble.

"Ruby!"

"Yes, Jaune?" she didn't take her eyes away from the Nevermore. It now had white patches of frost covering random sections of its body. Probably someone using Ice Dust.

"That was amazing!"

"That was quite spectacular," agreed a red-haired girl. Wait, no, that was Pyrrha Nikos. Why was Ruby so bad at recognizing people today?

"It was reckless and risky," huffed Weiss. Oh, hey, Ruby helped Weiss!

"It worked."

"It did." Weiss conceded.

"Does this mean you're not mad anymore?"

"Perhaps."

"Ruby," Pyrrha smiled at her, "By any chance, would you happen to not have a partner?"

"...No?"

"Then I suppose that makes me your partner. My name is-"

"Yeah, yeah, you're Pyrrha Nikos. Now, wait a second." Ignoring Weiss' splutterings and Pyrrha's look of surprise, she tore her gaze from the Nevermore and turned to Jaune. She poked a scratch on his cheek. " _Someone_ doesn't have their Aura unlocked."

"Huh?" Weiss turned to the boy. "Is this true?"

"Ermm..." Jaune wilted under her stare. "Maybe?"

"Pyrrha, did you know this?"

"I had my suspicions."

"Whatever." Ruby shrugged of their concerns. "I'm unlocking it right now." She placed her hand on his chest and wordlessly fed him some Aura, using it to catalyze the activation of his Aura. "There. All done."

"You surprise me even more." Pyrrha commented. "It's not often someone masters Aura to the degree where they don't need to chant to unlock Aura at our age."

"I'm a special child." Ruby returned. She really didn't like that curious look on Pyrrha's face. Curiosity meant she was going to pry more, and Ruby really wanted to go and help Yang at the moment.

She included her bow and aimed at the bird as it attempted another dive towards the initiates. Two arrows were all she needed to put gaping holes in the bird's wings, and it fell, missing the structures entirely.

"Come on, let's get back on that cliff." With that, Ruby began walking away.

* * *

"Miss Rose. Congratulations on passing initiation."

The two of them were once again in the headmaster's office, Ozpin behind the desk and Ruby watching him warily. At least Glynda wasn't there.

"I didn't retrieve a relic, though." She protested, though she knew it probably meant little to the man.

"Your partner did. Pyrrha Nikos successfully brought back a relic. And as neither of you two had a partner when you met, she became your partner after your defeat of the Deathstalker. Well done, I must add."

"Thanks." Ruby deadpanned.

"Now as for my offer..." he interlaced his fingers and leaned forward, "You made it out of the forest roughly three hours after initiation began. However, if one were only to keep track of time starting from when you left the cliffs, you took approximately fifty minutes. So, I'll let you decide if whether you wish to assist in the protection of the maidens."

"I accept." she responded almost immediately. "But on one condition."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I want one of my Servants going with Uncle Qrow on all of his missions."

Ozpin smiled. "Watching over the people you care about? I don't see any problem with that. In that case, I agree to help you avoid the public's eye and to find a way for you to continue your studies." He let out a relieved sigh. "Truthfully, I was also afraid that the people who attacked the Fall Maiden would also try to seek you out. It was one of the reasons I wanted you to come to Beacon."

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Then why didn't you just say so at the interview?"

"Would you have believed that people were coming after you?"

"What changed?" she pressed. "What was different that made you willing to tell me this, all of this, now?"

"I simply wanted to get a feel for your personality. I feel that I know enough about you that I can give you this information."

"You learned that much just from reviewing one interview?" she asked, "Or have you been stalking me?"

"Actually, I took a deeper look into your past. From that, I was able to learn more about your personality."

"And what did you learn?"

"That for all your bravado, you're still a young girl."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "That's a big leap in logic."

"Perhaps it is. But despite outward appearances and how you seem to act like others don't matter to you, you seem... unsure of yourself. You are very different on the inside. It doesn't show, and you've clearly gotten better at hiding it, but I noticed you watching my scroll whenever Jaune appeared on-screen. You also shielded the shopkeeper back at the Dust robbery, though you didn't need to. You were concerned for others, even if you didn't always act on that concern. I would even say you don't know what you want."

"I want to be happy."

"That's quite a vague wish, isn't it?"

When she didn't speak, he continued, "As for the other topic we discussed about earlier, how do you feel about potentially becoming a Maiden, if the need arises?"

"I decline. I don't need more responsibility."

"I was hoping you would say that," Ozpin admitted. "You would most likely be able to shoulder the responsibility of being a Maiden. However, you also have plenty on your plate already, if you plan to continue your other studies. I was also afraid your... Aura-related condition may return. It is unknown what would happen if a Maiden's Aura destabilized suddenly. Nor do I wish to know."

"Now," and he stood, "If you don't mind, I need to announce the teams. You should head down to the main hall. I will contact you later. " Taking this as her cue to leave, Ruby left through the elevator.

 _'At least he didn't ask more about my Semblance.'_

As soon as the doors closed, Marie spoke up. _'Something about that man bothers me.'_

 _'Me too'_ she agreed, _'But I've already shown Ozpin too much of what I can do. If I agree to his terms, he'll keep his silence. Dammit, Yang.'_ Ruby ran her fingers through her hair. _'Why'd you have to pick such a dangerous career?'_

Marie smiled. _'It's ok. Protect the people you care about, Ruby. Ensure their happiness. Do what I couldn't do for my people.'_

 _'Don't have to tell me twice.'_ Ruby said wryly.

 _'Just a reminder. After all, you almost willing to let Jaune die if it meant you could keep your privacy. And I know you were already considering him a friend. If you were going to let him die, how much farther would letting Yang die be?'_

Ruby winced. _'I helped him in the end anyways, right? '_

 _'Only because you wanted to help Yang. He just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Even when pursuing your goals, don't lose yourself or your morals. Help others. I know you wanted to, when you heard that Jaune could be in danger. Ozpin obviously noticed it too.'_

 _'You can't look out for everyone and yourself.'_ Ruby argued. The elevator opened, and she walked out. _'Sometimes, you have to balance your happiness with others' happiness.'_

 _'Just because you want to have your happy ending, doesn't mean you can't help others reach their's.'_ Paracelsus joined in.

 _'Didn't you die because you put others first and the Clock Tower came after you for spreading secrets?'_ she asked. At his silence, she continued, _'You guys never had a problem with what I was doing before.'_

 _'Because no one was in danger of dying.'_ Elizabeth explained.

 _'Et tu?'_ Ruby grumbled. _'Never expected you of all people to join in on the 'helping others is good' bandwagon, Blood Countess.'_

 _'Hmph! Blood Countess is the name of my future self, not me! Besides, she's a perfect example of how selfishness bites you back. I take my responsibility to others seriously! Of course I agree with Para' and Marie that you need to look out for others as well as yourself.'_

 _'You are jumping to conclusions.'_ Paracelsus said, _'Just because many of us died while helping others, doesn't mean selflessness leads to death.'_

 _'Paracelsus, you died trying to spread magecraft to common people. Cu Chulainn died trying to defend his homeland. Marie died trying to appease her people. Atalanta ended her life trying to follow her goddess' wishes.'_

 _'What about Jack and Elizabeth? What about Mordred? Elizabeth and Mordred died for selfish reasons. Jack was born as a result of the selfishness of prostitutes, when they threw away their children. You can't only look out for yourself. If everyone only looked out for themselves, Chaldea never would have-'_ Paracelsus paused. _'Please forget that last bit.'_

 _'Alright. I'll consider what you've said.'_ she snapped out of her mental conversation to find herself in front of the main hall.

She entered and found students already in groups, presumably with the people they completed initiation with. A waving hand caught her attention.

The seven people she had met were all in a group together: Blake, Yang, Weiss, Jaune, Pyrrha, and the oriental guy and over-excitable girl. Yang was waving at her. A smile crossed Ruby's face. Looked like she hadn't been forgotten. She made her way over to them.

"Hey."

"You were awesome out there, sis!" Yang gave a thumbs up before grabbing Ruby and smothering the biologically younger sibling with a hug.

"Mmmph! Can't breath!" Ruby groaned, but Yang completely ignored her, only shoving her further into her bossom while ruffling her hair.

"Is it hug time?" a brown-haired girl in pink and white clothes asked. "Ren, give me a hug!"

"Nora," said a green-garbed oriental guy, presumably Ren, as he dodged the over-excited girl's arms, "I don't think now is a good time for that."

"It's always a good time for hugs!"

Upon hearing that, Blake shifted away from Nora, putting the two sisters between her and the hammer wielder. She didn't notice Ruby's grin when Yang finally let go.

"Aww, does Blakey want a hug too?" Both of them laughed when Blake then chose to put Weiss between the two.

"You two are the worst," the ravenette grumbled, "At least I know Schnee won't try to invade my personal space."

"That's right." The heiress scoffed. "What you are doing is highly inappropriate for a public setting."

Just then, a voice called over the speakers, "Attention, please?" Everyone turned to the front, where Ozpin had appeared. "It is time for us to announce the teams."

* * *

"Lie Ren, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, and Nora Valkyrie, you four gathered the white rook pieces. From today on, you will be known as team RBYN (ribbon). Led by Lie Ren." Ren gave nod in recognition before being tackle-hugged by Nora. After standing for a minute, they left the stage. Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha took their place.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc, and Pyrrha Nikos, you four gathered the white knight pieces. From today on, you will be known as team AWPR (copper). Led by Jaune Arc." Eliciting surprised from the team except Ruby. After all, the headmaster had agreed to keep her out of notice.

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year." The headmaster murmured to himself.

* * *

When Ruby fell asleep in her dorm, she found herself walking down a hall. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all metal, and the doors appeared futuristic. Windows appeared in regular intervals, showing a blizzard outside.

This was her mindscape, the appearance her mind took. It seemed like some kind of facility. There were living quarters, a cafeteria, a library, a training room, and even a control room, which she found was linked to the real world, with screens showing what was happening outside.

She headed towards the living quarters, and arrived at a long hallway with doors on either side, similar to a hotel. There was a small slot where names could be placed, but as she continued down the hall, she found the slot on every door empty, as it had always been since she began to seeing her mindscape in her dreams.

It was only at the very end of the hall when names began to show up. "Mordred," read one door with a picture of a sword taped to the front. Ruby knew from experience, however, that Mordred was rarely ever in her room. She was often sparring with Cu Chulainn in the training room or stuffing herself in the cafeteria. The Hound of Ulster himself also preferred to fish at the facility's fake pond rather than stay in his room. For the millionth time, Ruby wondered where the food and fish came from - but then again, it was her mind, after all. They probably just needed to image whatever they wanted and it would appear.

Atalanta and Jack also were rarely in their rooms. Atalanta was probably at the archery range, and Jack was doing who-knows-what. Maybe pranking one of the others?

Paracelsus, Marie, and Elizabeth were the ones regularly in the living quarters. Judging from the singing coming from Elizabeth's room, Marie and Elizabeth were having another sing-off. Paraclesus' door had a "Do not disturb" sign hanging out of the name slot, so he was probably performing some new experiment with Dust (and Ruby wondered where he got Dust).

Deciding not to enter any of their rooms, she continued to wander, finding herself in front of a large door. _'Library'_ her mind told herself. As she neared the door, it opened on its own, the metal sliding upward to let her through.

Her library was more than just books, however. It also contained memories, both her own and those belonging to the Heroic Spirits. The isles were usually empty, except for maybe a stool or two, and the librarian's desk had a pile of books on it. Ruby knew from previous experiments that the library would always appear clean, even if the previous occupant of the room made a giant mess. Only books on the desk were left alone. Once again, she chalked it up to being a mindscape thing.

This time, however, there was a hard-cover book laying on the floor in one of the isles with several tabs sticking out. She picked it up and dusted it off.

"Marchen Meines Lebens," she read the title. _'Haven't ever seen this book in the library. Let's take a look-'_

As soon as she flipped to the first tab, she was plunged into a memory.

 _"Mama, mama, look what I wrote!" a little boy, dressed in rags, ran up to a woman washing clothes in a wooden tub._

 _"A story? Let me see... it's quite nice, even if short. I feel like I've read this story before..."_

 _"Of course mama! It's about us! Marchen Meines Lebens (A story just for you)."_

 _The memory disappeared in a swirl, though it was soon replaced. There was a man hunched over a desk, scribbling away._

 _"Blast." The man cursed. He suddenly picked up the parchment he was writing on, crumpled it in a ball, and threw it. It landed in a wastebasket, where it joined dozens of other paper balls._

 _"By tomorrow?" the man grumbled to himself as he pulled out another piece of parchment. "Write another six stories by tomorrow? Psh! They don't know what they're asking for."_

 _He had barely written for a moment before cursing and crumpling the parchment again. "Dammit!" He swore, "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He put his head in hands. Then he hissed, and his right hand shot down to his stomach._

 _"Tch, and I don't have money to get this pain checked." He growled. "Nothing ever goes right."_

 _The next scene was a coffin. The man was inside and Ruby watched as the lid was shut and the man was lowered into the ground. Yet, her attention was elsewhere, focusing on the little boy from before who watched the proceedings along with her. The strangest part was that he was flying, standing on empty air and looking down at the funeral._

 _Another scene. The boy sat in a bookshop, only with blue hair now, reading two novels at once from behind the counter. Beside him, on the counter, was the book Ruby had opened - "Marchen Meines Lebens." There was a banging sound, and the boy looked up, presumably at the second floor. When the banging stopped, he turned back to his reading._

 _A loud clanking sound could be heard, and Mordred burst in through the door._

Ruby forced herself out of the memory. There was one more tab. She was certain that this book belonged to a Heroic Spirit - just not one that she could Install or Include. So what was it doing in her mindscape? Was an eighth Heroic Spirit making its appearance? And which class was it?

She left the book on the librarian's desk with the intention of picking it up later, and left to ask Paracelsus about the possibility of other Heroic Spirits being summoned by her Semblance - and about this "Chaldea" he had mentioned once but stopped talking about. As soon as the door closed, however, a young boy emerged from under the desk. His hair was blue, and he was dressed in formal clothing - a vest, long pants, and a collared shirt.

He grumbled to himself. "Blast!" his voice was deep. "Why do I have to keep hiding myself? If Flower Boy and Miss Mahatama would only come to an agreement, then none of this would be necessary!" He picked up "Marchen Meines Lebens." He, and the book, disappeared in a flash.

* * *

 **The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis - A poisonous mist that harms all lifeforms. It can be controlled to avoid specific people, and illusions can be formed within the mist. It messes with the sense of direction of all people inside so that they cannot find their way out, though people with good instincts or some other form of mental guide can manage to escape. The user can also navigate their way through the mist.**

 **Presence Concealment - An ability all Assassin-class Servants possess, it allows the Servant to evade detection.**

 **Information Erasure - An ability that erases knowledge of a Servant once it has withdrawn from combat.**


	5. Ruby's Notebook 1

**Well, here are the stats. Sorry for those of you who expected an actual chapter.**

 **Most stats are a rank down from their Fate versions, even with Ruby using lower standards to rank Servants. However, there are exceptions. Since Ruby ranks Noble Phantasms based on how easy it is to replicate them with Dust, certain Noble Phantasms get different ranks from when they were ranked in Fate. One example is Elizabeth's "Bathory Erszebest," which is ranked B, while it was ranked E in the Fate universe. All the stats are measured differently than from the Fate universe, which is why Mordred suddenly has rank A strength and endurance.**

 **Ruby's notebook will make later appearances, usually to display the stats of other characters, or to show things Ruby has noted.**

 **Also, I rewrote the previous chapters. The only thing different is that Ruby is attending Beacon to become a combat medic instead of a huntress; everything else has been preserved. And I made Ozpin more... Ozpin-y.**

 **Review responses:**

 **I kinda didn't try to get Jalter... My rolling for her was really just three tickets. :)**

 **Yup, I see some people guessed who the eight Servant was. He won't play a major role anytime soon though - he's more of a hint as to what the future holds. And besides, how do you think that library of books came to be? They certainly didn't just pop up out of nowhere! Someone is writing the books - Not that Ruby has realized that yet...**

 **The coffin is Ruby's weapon. It also has a clay doll in it.**

* * *

If you're not Yang, Uncle Qrow, or myself... shoo! Don't read this! This is my notebook!

...

...

I hexed the next page! Seriously, don't read this if I didn't let you.

...

...

*flip

Ok. If the translation spell is working, and the hex hasn't turned you into a statue, then I must have given you permission to read this.

So... the guys in my head kept talking about what they could do, and I kept forgetting, so I made this notebook! That way, instead of having to pester them all the time to figure out who can do what, I can just whip out this handy little notebook.

Of course, just writing about which Heroic Spirit can do what wouldn't fill up the book, and it would be a waste of paper for me to leave the rest of the book blank. So I guess I'll put my observations on other things in here as well.

We (myself and the spirits) came up with a ranking system and a template. Here's what it looks like.

A: Superhuman; usually only achievable through Semblances or magic. Anyone with A-rank in anything is super scary, unless _everything_ else is super weak. For Noble Phantasms of this rank, these are pretty much impossible to copy with Dust, cause there's only so much Dust a person can carry on them.

B: Around the power level of the top huntsmen and huntresses. For Noble Phantasms of this rank, a crazy amount of Dust would have to be used to copy the effects.

C: Around the average power level of a full-fledged huntsman or huntress. For Noble Phantasms of this rank, plenty of Dust would have to be used to copy the effects.

D: Around the average power level of a student at a huntsman academy. A Noble Phantasms of this rank would by fairly weak, only good in certain situations or to try and surprise an enemy.

E: Around the power level of a student attending combat school, slightly better than the average civilian. For Noble Phantasms and skills of this rank, these are entirely situational, only providing an edge against an opponent.

EX: Can't be compared, usually because it's either too OP or because it just doesn't fit anywhere. My sis' Semblance would be this, since it varies in power.

\+ means that a skill can temporarily be ranked up one rank. - means a skill does not fully qualify for the rank, but is too high to qualify for a lower rank. We ranked parameters by looking at the average person of that rank, and we ranked abilities by matching them with Semblances, Aura, and Dust effects.

Name: (insert name)

Strength: (how strong they are. Duh!)

Endurance: (how much damage they can take.)

Agility: (speed and reaction time)

Magical Power/Aura: (how much magic/aura they posses and can handle)

Luck: (how lucky you are. This doesn't follow the ranks above, but uses a separate ranking system)

Noble Phantasm/Semblance: (The strength of the Noble Phantasm/Semblance. I measure this by how much Dust or Aura would usually be needed to get the same effect)

 **Skills:**

-x-

 **Noble Phantasm/Semblance:**

-x-

 **Notes:**

-x-

 **Name: Mordred, Knight of Treachery.**

Strength: A-

Endurance: A

Agility: B-

Mana: C

Luck: D

N.P.: A

 **Skills:**

Magic Resistance: B - Magic resistance lets Mordred ignore Semblances, Dust, and magic. At B, only the most powerful magic and Semblances focused on Mordred will have any effect, and even then they'll be weakened. Only high-calibur Dust rounds or high-quality Dust (or both) has an effect. Mordred says she has this ability from her diluted dragon blood. Maybe her dragon blood is where she gets her attitude?

Riding: E- - Mordred can ride horses. That's about it. You could _try_ to get her to ride something else, but she'd probably make it blow up instead. Dad's car was never the same...

Instinct: B - At B-rank, Instinct lets Mordred 'feel' threats, even if invisible. It's almost like predicting the future.

Battle Continuation: C - At C-rank, Battle Continuation lets Mordred fight even if badly injured.

Charisma: C- - Charisma lets Mordred convince others to follow her. It allows her to lead others, but only temporarily.

Mana Burst: B - Mana Burst lets Mordred turn magical power into physical power by strengthening her muscles, her weapon, etc. She can also release magical power in small waves. It's like a Semblance!

 **N.B. and Semblances:**

Clarent: Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword: C - Clarent is the sword of Mordred. It boosts all of its wielder's physical stats and Charisma, though it loses this effect and gets ranked down to rank-D when used by Mordred, supposedly because she "borrowed" it (the others say she stole it).

Clarent Blood Arthur: Rebellion Against my Beautiful Father: A+ - Clarent Blood Arthur is an attack unleashed through Clarent. It represents the hatred Mordred felt for her father, Arthur. At B+ rank, it can take out a huntsmen with full Aura in a single hit and tear through metal in seconds, though it needs a massive amount of energy. Fun fact: Mordred says the energy requirement is why she eats a lot (in addition to eating being her hobby). Everyone else just says she has no self-restraint.

Helm of Hidden Infidelity: Secret of Pedigree: E - Mordred's helm, which obscures her face. It's purpose is to hide her identity. It can retract into her armor. As long as its active, recognition software of any kind will fail to identify her (though the amazing things called common sense and eyes will). The helm has to be taken off for Clarent Blood Arthur.

 **Note:** Don't talk about her gender. She gets angry whenever it's brought up. Also, she has a bad habit of throwing things at her enemies - swords, lampposts, cars, friends, cats... the list goes on...

 **Name: Cu Chulainn**

Strength: C

Endurance: C

Agility: A

Mana: C

Luck: E-

Noble Phantasm/Semblance: B

 **Skills:**

Divinity: D - This skill represents how close Cu Chulainn is to the gods. It doesn't really do anything, other than _maybe_ weakening Semblances and magic used on him. Cu Chulainn is, according to himself, a demigod.

Battle Continuation: A - At A-rank, this skill lets Cu Chulainn fight even with fatal wounds. It decreases his chances of dying from injuries slightly, though they still hurt. A lot. It is recommended not to rely on this ability to reattach arms you may have cut off (thanks, Paracelsus, for actually being able to reattach arms).

Protection from Arrows: C - At C-rank, he can block most ranged attacks. It doesn't work against explosives. It also needs him to see either the attacker or the attack, so it doesn't really work on sneak attacks.

Rune Magic: B - Cu is adept with runic magic, though nowhere close to Paracelsus' level.

Disengage:C - Is this really a skill? Seem to me more like just running away.

 **Noble Phantasm/Semblance:**

Gae Bolg: Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death: B - Gae Bolg is a spear. It has a curse, when activated, that reverses cause and effect so that... blah blah blah, who has time to listen to all the details? It pretty much can't miss someone's heart, and injuries from it can't be healed. At C-rank, it can pierce metal sheets but is unable to pierce tougher defenses, such as an armored tank.

 **Note:** He's really good at making Mordred and Elizabeth angry. He doesn't like having his weapon, looks, or masculinity insulted. Seriously though, he usually wears full-body tights and earrings, so he can't really complain about his looks.

*The next page is covered in a drawing of Cu Chulainn running from an angry Mordred. Cu is running down a hall, while Mordred is crouched on a wall, about to spring off after the Lancer. Cu has a deathly scared face. Below the picture is a small caption that just says "Lancer died!"

 **Name: Atalanta**

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Agility: B+

Mana: C

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm/Semblance: B

 **Skills:**

Independent Action: B- - Atalanta needs very little energy to stay in either a vessel or Installed. The ability disappears when her Agrius Metamorphosis is activated, though.

Crossing Arcadia: B+ - Atalanta can cross battlefields quickly by jumping over obstacles. When sprinting, she can outrun cars, but only for a limited amount of time.

Aesthetics of the Last Spurt: D - By allowing enemies take the first move, Atalanta can predict their actions. This is sort of similar to Instinct.

 **Noble Phantasms/Semblances:**

Phoebus Catastophe: Complaint Message on the Arrow: B- - An arrow seeking the help of the god Apollo and goddess Artemis, it summons a rain of arrows. The arrows can be concentrated in an area or spread out. Aura can easily block Phoebus Catastrophe, but the concentrated version may cause some damage.

Agrius Metamorphosis: the Divine Boar of Punishment: A+ - A transformation using the pelt of the Calydonian Boar. It boost all of Atalanta's stats except luck, but reduces her mental abilities. We haven't actually tried this ability before, for obvious reasons (yes, we have tried most of these abilities, and yes, the destruction Clarent Blood Arthur caused was hard to cover up).

 **Note:** She and Paracelsus are the serious people. She likes looking like a faunus, and is easily insulted by negative comments about her ears and tail. She also has an obsession with apples and pies.

 **Name: Marie Antoinette**

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Agility: C

Mana: C

Luck: B

N.P.: A+

 **Skills**

Riding: A - Marie can ride anything except for dragons. And really, when are dragons ever going to appear in Remnant? Drat, I jinxed it!

Alluring Nightingale: E++ - Marie can charm people with her voice. At rank E, this skill is really weak and only really works on civilians without unlocked Aura, and even then, its a bit iffy. It becomes better against guys, though - I wonder why?

Grace of God: B - A skill that represents Marie's beautiful body. It also means she doesn't get fat from eating too much. I don't think it does anything in combat though...

 **Noble Phantasms/Semblance:**

Guillotine Breaker: Glory to the Crown of Lilies: B+ - A glass horse that symbolizes the glory of the French Nobility. It can heal allies or trample enemies.

Crystal Palace: Precious Brilliance Everlasting: A - A bounded field containing a palace of glass, boosting allies.

 **Note:** Her singing is really good helpful when trying to fall asleep. Trying to serenade the Grimm doesn't work though. She gets in arguments every now and then with Elizabeth over who's the better singer(it's Marie).

 **Name: Paracelsus von Hohenheim**

Strength: E

Endurace: E-

Agility: D

Mana: C

Luck: B

N.P.: A

 **Abilities:**

Item Construction: EX - He's extremely good at creating magical items, being the one who helped me make my Servant vessels. With the right materials, he can make almost anything. This ability alone makes up for his horrible stats.

Territory Creation: C - Paracelsus can gather magical energy from the land.

High-Speed Incantation: A - High-level magic that normally needs long chants can be cast with two words.

Elemental: B - Paracelsus can create spirits using specific elements, though it takes time and resources.

Philosopher's Stone: A - Paracelsus can store energy in crystals, saving them for later or causing different effects, such as extended life. He can even revive someone who died recently.

 **Noble Phantasms/Semblances:**

Sword of Paracelsus: Magic Sword of the Element User: A - It can store giant amounts of magic energy, copy magical attacks, and counter magic. It's activation releases energy stored as an attack.

 **Note:** Avoid mentioning Aura research around him. Last time he tried to figure out how Aura worked, he overloaded Patch's power grid. Thankfully, it wasn't traced back to my house. Still, I had no idea how to get rid of the Aura-reading machines he "borrowed" until Atalanta learned that they served as good archery practice. Of course, Paracelsus threw a fit, one of the two times anyone has ever seen him upset before. The other time was when we visited an orphanage, and he broke down crying. So he _can_ be emotional, even if he doesn't always show it.

 **Name: Jack the Ripper**

Strength: D

Endurace: D

Agility: A-

Mana: C

Luck: E

N.P.: C

 **Abilities:**

Presence Concealment: B++ - Hides Jack. Only the most observant of people can detect Jack, and Jack will appear on radars, maps and other devices as a fuzzy dot. Jack will not trigger sensors - a skill that Atalanta is immensely jealous of. The skill is boosted in mist and at night.

Murderer of the Misty Night: A - Jack always lands the first hit, as long as it's night. And misty.

Information Erasure: C - Information about Jack is lost when Jack leaves a fight. However, people can still be reminded of part of what happened if they come across physical evidence, such as the knife used to stab them.

Mental Pollution: D - Mental attacks are weakened, but Jack's reasoning becomes somewhat twisted. She's like a kid, but with an unhealthy liking for blood!

 **Noble Phantasms/Semblance:**

Maria the Ripper: Holy Mother of Dismemberment: E~B - A set of four weird knives. They get a boost when a)it's nighttime b)the target is a girl c)it's misty. At maximum power, a single hit will cause the knives to teleport straight into the target. Aura can block this effect, so this is only usable when the opponent's guard is down or the opponent's Aura is exhausted, and when I actually want to kill them.

The Mist: Darkened Misty Metropolis: C - A lantern that gives off a poisonous mist. Civilians would be knocked out right away. People with weak Aura will have their Aura drained. People with trained Auras will be slowed. Grimm can't use their emo-detector while in the mist, because supposedly everything smells negative to them.

 **Note:** Jack won't die, even if stabbed, bisected, dismembered, decapitated, or otherwise hurt. Instead, some of the ghosts inside her fall out. She only dies after all the ghosts leave, and she has, like, 1000 of them. Truthfully, it's kinda scary to see Jack bleeding out ghosts from a spear through her chest as she casually talks to you in your mind(I know from experience).

 **Name: Elizabeth Bathory**

Strength: B

Endurance: A-

Agility: C

Mana: C

Luck: C

N.P.: B

 **Skills**

Mad Enhancement: E- - Elizabeth's endurance gets boosted slightly, but she's bad at figuring out the mood... which makes her speak up at some of the worst times. Thankfully, Paracelsus usually keeps her quite at times like that.

Magic Resistance: A- - Elizabeth is entirely immune to Semblances, Dust, and magic, though this effect weakens when in enclosed spaces, where her claustrophobia begins to take over and weakens this skill.

Mental Disorder: B - This comes from Elizabeth's messed-up mind. It act like a super-armor against mental attacks.

Mixed Blood: C - Elizabeth has dragon blood. She can unleash Dragon Breath, which comes out as a weak sonic blast. She makes up for the weakness by having spirit world in her lungs (how cool is that?) that lets her store a lot of air. Because of her Dragon Breath, she can use microphones as weapons. She can also grow dragon wings and fly, and her horns and tail make her easily mistakable for a faunus.

 **Noble Phantasms/Semblance:**

Bathory Erzsebest: Fresh Blood Demoness: B - Remember when I said she could use a mic as a weapon? Her Noble Phantasm is a summon-able castle that amps up her sound. Must never be used with a full microphone system, or bystanders _might(_ read as _will_ ) go deaf.

 **Note:** She's good with thumbscrews, scissors(particularly the sharper kinds), heretic's forks, knives, spikes, guillotines, darts, fingernail removers, hot irons, mind probes, iron maidens, syringes, other miscellaneous torture devices, and duct tape. Also, don't let her be the DJ at a party. _Ever._

 **Clay Dolls**

So, although the fake-doll-Servants are really useful, they have some obvious problems. First of all, they're made of _clay_. Clay... can't really take a hit. And there's only so much Aura that can be channeled through clay. Then there's the fact that the Servants can only exert themselves a certain amount before they start to fall apart.

Luck, and skills aren't really affected by the clay. Noble phantasms _technically_ aren't affected, but the lower amount of Aura that can be channeled usually means that noble phantasms can't be used by clay Servants.

If I had to rank the clay Servants, their max parameters would be something like this:

Strength: D

Endurance: E-

Agility: C

Mana: C

Luck: C

N.P.: NA

Why don't I use something other than clay? Uhh...

Well, I have a life. So usually, my dolls are made in a rush. I usually just make a small doll out of clay, then use magic to enlarge it. I did try wooden dolls before, but I kept getting splinters...

Secondly, I don't have the tools necessary. How am I supposed to etch marks into steel dolls without the proper tools? And yes, I could go out of my way to get my hands on some tools, but... y'know, procrastination is a wonderful thing. I'll get around to it later.

Maybe next week.

*There is a small scribble beneath*

Next-next week.

*There is another scribble*

Later.


End file.
